Cat and bird game



July 23, 1963 LEE CAT AND BIRD GAME Filed Dec. 14, 1962 INVENTOR. JAMESLEE United States Patent 3,098,652 CAT AND BIRD GAME James Lee, 1130Brookdale Ave., Bayshore, N.Y. Filed Dec. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 244,745 3Claims. (Cl. 2731) The present invention relates to games and toys, andmore particularly to such games in which embossed cartoons representingcats and birds become animated in the process of the play.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of an animated toywhich may be inexpensive to manufacture, easy to operate and that may beeducational.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a vertical wall tosupport imprints of popular play-room jingles or rhymes, such as littlebirds sitting on a fence 1 flew away and that left 9 and another such as10 little birds sitting on a fence 2 flew away and that left 8 etc.

A further object of this invention is the provision of a horizontallydisposed base having a vertical wall or board, the base and the walljoined together to form the toy proper.

An additional object of this invention is the provision of a number ofembossed bird cartoons (in this case ten) which may be hingeably mountedupon the wall and means for operating the birds and in such a manner asto permit the latter to hinge away and to disappear from view when acord or a flexible string is being pulled by the players.

This invention consists of certain other features in construction andoperation and in the combination and arrangement of several parts, to behereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing andspeciiically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, references will be had to theaccompanying drawing where like character numerals denote like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a game comprising the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary rear view of FIG. 1 shown in elevation.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a game toy 10 made inaccordance with the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, including, incombination, a horizontally disposed base 11, a vertical wall or fence12, and a longitudinally disposed element 13. It may be seen that thebase 11 has a vertical flange 14 which may be provided with severalholes (ten in this case), arranged equal-spaced from each other.

The vertical board or fence 1 2 may be provided with an imprinted orembossed legend 12a representing a playroom jingle, substantially asshown. A row of ten bird cartoons 16 (to correspond with the ten holes15 in the flange 14) may be hingeably secured at the upper edge 17 ofthe board 12, by means of the flat, flexible movable, spring members 18;one end 18a of each spring member 18 is made fast to the lower section16a of each bird in the row, while the other end 18b of the spring isheld to the upper edge 17 of the wall 12 (as substantially indicated inFIG. 2).

It may be seen in FIG. 2 that an eyelet or a small ring-hook 1 9 issecured to the rear portion of each of the cartooned birds 16, at asmall distance above the spot where the end 18a of the flat spring 18 ismounted. One end 20a of the string or cord 20 is secured to the eyelet19, while the opposite end 20b after being passed through the hole 15::(located in the rear section of the wall 12) and the front hole 15(inthe flange 14) is secured to one of the cartooned cats 22 (see FIGS.1 and 3).

The longitudinally disposed element 13 may be shaped in the form of atree trunk, while the vertical wall 12 may be formed to represent afence in a garden. Each of the cartooned cats (ten in number) has itsclaws 23 so shaped as to catch over the top of the tree trunk 13 whenthe cat 22 is manually moved from its present position (near the flange14) towards the tree trunk or log 13, in the process of the play.

To facilitate the holding of the wall 12 in an upright position, thereare several stiffeners 1b provided in the rear section of the wall 12(see FIG. 3).

It will now be recognized that in actual practice, during the playing ofthe game (one or more children can play together) a cartooned cat (onlyone cartooned cat, N0. 4 is showing in the drawing for clarity, actuallythere are ten such cartoons) is moved manually from its original restingposition near the flange 14 towards the log 13. Thereupon the claws 23of the cat 22 are hooked over the log to hold the cartooned cat to theformer. In the process of moving the cartooned cat 22 towards the log13, the spring 18, by means of the cord 20 is pulled to operate thefirst cartooned bird perched upon the wall or fence. The action of thecord 20 being pulled will trip over the bird *1-6 to the position shownby dotted lines in FIG. 2.

This action in the game will correspond with the reading of the firstline in the jingle which reads as follows: 10 little birds sitting on afence 1 flew away and that left 9. Subsequently the second bird in therow is tripped by the players. This latter operation will correspondwith the second line in the jingle which is as follows: 10 little birdssitting on a fence 2 flew away and that left 8. This process ofoperating the toy 10 may be repeated again and again until the last ofthe birds 16 in the row has been tripped. This final action willcorrespond with the last line in the jingle which reads as follows: 10little birds sitting on a fence they all flew away and that left 0.

With the game being at an end, the cartooned cats may be unhooked fromthe log 16 holding them and thus making possible for the cartooned birdson the wall 16 to assume their original vertical position. Then the gamemay be began all over again. It is understood that the game may beplayed with various modifications and combinations, and the toy does notneed be always operated as above described. At the discretion of theplayers, this or that cartooned cat may be moved toward the log 13 inturn to operate the respective cartooned bird perched on the wall 16.The various corresponding lines of the inprinted jingle 12a are beingread by the players as the game progresses.

A careful consideration of the foregoing description in conjunction withthe invention as illustrated in the drawing will enable the reader toobtain a clear undering and impression of the alleged features of meritand novelty sufficient to clarify the construction and operation of theinvention as hereinafter claimed.

Minor changes in shape, size, materials and rearrangement of parts maybe resorted to in actual practice so long as no departure is made fromthe invention as claimed.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. A game of the class described comprising, in combination, ahorizontal base of rectangular contour having a vertical flange at eachof the longer sides of said rectangle, a vertical board secured to oneof said flanges, the other flange having a row of holes, the holes insaid row located equidistant from each other, a row of holes in -theopposite flange in alignment with the holes in the first flange, a rowof cartoon characters mounted to the upper edge of said vertical hoard,springs upon which said characters are mounted, said springs being heldupright on the upper edge of said board, a row of cartoon charactersdisposed along the entire length of said base, and a number of flexiblecords being threaded through the holes in said flanges, one end of eachcord being secured to a character perched on said board with the otherendbeing held to a character on said base, the pulling upon said cartooncharacters on said base operating the cartoon characters perched to saidboard to operate the game.

2. The combination acconding to claim 1; wherein each of the springsupon which said cartoon characters are mounted is individually securedto the upper section of said vertical board, with one end each of saidsprings supporting one character and with the opposite end of eachspring being held to said board, an eyelet in said? cartoon charactersdisposed above said spring, the end of said cord being held to saideyelet, the pulling upon said cord operating said cartoon characters.

3. The combination according to claim 1; and means to render said gameinoperative, said means comprising a fastening member on said base, thecartoon characters upon said base each having a 1C18W, said clawsengaging said fastening member as set forth.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,212,943 Hart Jan. 16, 1917 2,587,042 Halselup Feb. 26, 1952 3,008,614Fors et a1 Feb. 26, 196 3

1. A GAME OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AHORIZONTAL BASE OF RECTANGULAR CONTOUR HAVING A VERTICAL FLANGE AT EACHOF THE LONGER SIDES OF SAID RECTANGLE, A VERTICAL BOARD SECURED TO ONEOF SAID FLANGES, THE OTHER FLANGE HAVING A ROW OF HOLES, THE HOLES INSAID ROW LOCATED EQUIDISTANT FROM EACH OTHER, A ROW OF HOLES IN THEOPPOSITE FLANGE IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE HOLES IN THE FIRST FLANGE, A ROWOF CARTOON CHARACTERS MOUNTED TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID VERTICAL BOARD,SPRINGS UPON WHICH SAID CHARACTERS ARE MOUNTED, SAID SPRINGS BEING HELDUPRIGHT ON THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID BOARD, A ROW OF CARTOON CHARACTERSDISPOSED ALONG THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF SAID BASE, AND A NUMBER OF FLEXIBLECORDS BEING THREADED THROUGH THE HOLES IN SAID FLANGES, ONE END OF EACHCORD BEING SECURED TO A CHARACTER PERCHED ON SAID BOARD WITH THE OTHEREND BEING HELD TO A CHARACTER ON SAID BASE, THE PULLING UPON SAIDCARTOON CHARACTERS ON SAID BASE OPERATING THE CARTOON CHARACTERS PERCHEDTO SAID BOARD TI OPERATE THE GAME.